The Historical Rolex Air-King
Friday, June 4th, 2010The Rolex Air-King is one of the timepieces in the world-renowned Oyster perpetual line. It is not a watch that you hear much about, as it does not fall into the category of professional or sports watches that have specific functions and a novelty factor. In terms of the classic Rolex watch or a timepiece for gentlemen, the Rolex DateJust and Day-Date are more popular. The result is that the Air-King does not get enough publicity. But in fact, along with its sleek and elegant look, the watch carries important historical relevance and aviation connotations which make it especially desirable among a niche market. During World War II, Hans Wilsdorf (German-born but living in England and then neutral Switzerland) honored British fighter pilots with a line of watches. These were part of the already distinguished Oyster line and were produced until the 1960s. The only one to remain after that was the Air-King, which eventually became fitted with automatic movement. Today it has a 34 mm dial and is available in either stainless steel or steel and white gold. Although it is one of the least expensive wristwatches Rolex offers, it still runs in the thousands of dollars in terms of pricing. However, people now have a great option with today’s high quality replicas, which cost around one or two hundred dollars typically. A good replica Rolex Air-King will have a look that is identical to the authentic watch. Now made with heavy construction, it will also be equal in weight to originals. Bearing reference codes of verification, top notch replicas are crafted from sturdy materials and also make use of scratch resistant synthetic mineral glass. With a high quality replica Rolex Air-King, you can own a piece of history and the last of the otherwise extinct Air line watches.